Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What color is my horse? Black or Bay? (And the answer is... BROWN)

Sebastian had a black winter coat. It isn't yet summer and he already looks pretty "rusty". Is he a bay or black horse? I love him either way and wouldn't spend much money to have him black, BUT I read that a Tablespoon of paprika morning and night will do the trick. Has anyone ever done this?

I read somewhere that if a horse is feeding from "red" earth (and yes, NC has red dirt) then it is likely full of iron which competes with copper metabolically. Copper is very important in maintaining coat color. He is pasture boarded with a nice shed to use to get out if the wind, rain... and sun. His pasture does not have much shade, if any.

His father is a black Friesian, his mother I would say, a Bay Paint.

...and below is a photo of him last October when his winter coat was starting to come in:

8 comments:

You do see paprika in a lot of supplements for enhancing coat color (particular ones aimed at black). The only catch is that paprika is said to test positive on USEF drug tests -- capsaicin being the issue). However, if you aren't hitting the show ring, my barn owner swears by it.

Neither. He's brown (sometimes called seal). Brown horses appear black in some conditions, but have tell-tale brown around their muzzles, flanks, etc. and are often more 'bay' looking in the summer months. A true black doesn't experience that.

My vet once called Enzo black/bay. So who knows? But Enzo also turns burnt orange in the summer, LOL. I tried everything and nothing really keeps him true black. Both his parents were jet black. So where Enzo gets so much brown from?? Must come from his gene pool somewhere. But the paprika did nothing! I do use extra Cooper and Zinc. Both to promote the hair follicle and hooves. And I do a coat conditioner to bring out the shine and health to what ever color Enzo is, LOL. But this will be my first summer really seeing him shed out with these products. But Enzo even can carry brown in the winter. So again, I don't expect a major color change. I am just looking for a shine and healthy coat and if it ends up looking a bit darker? Then cool! Plus, like I mentioned it will also continue to keep his hooves healthy so I will continue these not expensive supplements! Your boy is awesome!

It’s always tricky trying to say what colour a horse truly is, my mothers TB mare Madeline is black but has the rabicano gene this gives her a small sprinkling of white hairs on her flanks, barrel and a white topped tail but her base colour is still black and so she’s still a black horse. Like Sebastian Madeline fades to some degree in the sun but I have no doubt that Sebastian spends a lot more of his time in the sun, plus he isn’t in England, so he’s going to fade more. Looking at your photos I would say he’s definitely not bay but if I saw him in person I might think differently. I am sorry to say that there isn’t really a way for you to tell if he is black or brown till his next coat change, after he has changed into his fresh winter coat if he is black he should have no brown hairs, brown horses often have brown hairs on their muzzle, flanks, inner forearm and thighs. Anyway I would say wait and see come winter what colour he is and remember most black horses will fade in the sun, whatever colour like your other commenters I think he is a very nice looking horse.RegardsEdward

I agree with everyone else (especially the being gorgeous no matter what color lol). As far as the paprika goes, I haven't tried it, but I do know you have to start it before they start to shed. Once the coat has bleached it can't help. It can only maintain the color, so you have to start about a month before he starts to shed his winter coat. :D Let us know how it goes if you decide to try it.